President Donald Trump honored Martin Luther King Jr. on Friday morning, less than a day after he allegedly asked why the U.S. admits people from “shithole countries."

“Today we celebrate Dr. King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin, or the place of our birth, we are all created equal by God,” Trump said during Friday’s event.

Story Continued Below

“But while Dr. King is no longer with us, his words and his vision only grow stronger with time,” he added. “Today we mourn his loss. We celebrate his legacy. And we pledge to fight for his dream of equality, freedom, justice and peace.”

Immediately following the signing of the document proclaiming Jan. 15 the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, Trump was met with questions regarding Thursday’s comments.

American Urban Radio’s April Ryan asked Trump whether he planned to apologize for the statement and questioned whether he is racist.

The most reliable politics newsletter.

Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning — in your inbox.

Email

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

"Mr. President, are you a racist?" she shouted.

Trump did not acknowledge Ryan’s comments.

“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump said Thursday, according to individuals briefed on the meeting. The comment was made following a discussion on protecting immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries.

He has denied making the initial remarks, tweeting Friday that he did not use that particular language.